Jeremy Jacquet believes he's joining "one of the greatest football institutions in the world" by signing for Liverpool after opting for the Reds ahead of Chelsea.

The Merseyside outfit completed a £60million deal to land the French defender on deadline day. He had been on Chelsea's radar over the last week but when Liverpool came to the party Jacquet chose them over the Blues.

Liverpool will pay £55m up front with a further £5m potentially due in performance-related add-ons. It is a boost for Arne Slot, whose defensive options have taken a hit with doubts still persisting over the likes of Ibrahima Konate, who is out of contract this summer.

The agreement that allows Jacquet to remain with the Ligue 1 side is also thought to have been key. Rennes remain in the Champions League hunt and the 20-year-old, who has enjoyed a rapid rise, will be allowed to contribute until the end of the campaign.

Jacquet said: “I’ll tackle this second part of the season with the will to experience beautiful moments with my team-mates and the fans.”

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The lack of options in Liverpool's defensive line, coupled with the raft of players available at Chelsea is thought to have played a role in Jacquet's decisions. He wasn't convinced that he would get regular minutes at Stamford Bridge, especially following some of their recent decisions, and so chose Anfield.

Mamadou Sarr is returning to Chelsea from his loan spell at Strasbourg and youngster Josh Acheampong is remaining at the club. The Blues also have Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Aaron Anselmino and Jorrel Hato in their squad. Levi Colwill will also return from injury - leaving plenty of players missing out on selection.

Rennes boss Habib Beye admitted that they simply couldn't turn down the money on offer with the French side banking huge profits on players who were largely unheard of back in the summer - albeit Jacquet did impress at the U19 Euros with France.

He said: “It's the best deal we could hope for. We negotiated the transfer, obtained the amount that the club looked for, we respected the player’s wish and we have him for the remainder of the season. It’s the reality of the market. The club he joins will offer him Champions League football and what is currently the best league in the world. We simply don’t have the means to fight.

"We have to see it as a privilege. Rennes could make €100m of profit on two players (Jacquet and Kader Meite, who has joined Al Hilal) who were maybe worth €3m between them six months ago."

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